1 year later: True Love Survives
by pkdbulldawg
Summary: This story picks up after the season 14 finale. There are some possible spoilers for season 15. In the beginning it's mainly about Neela feeling alone and depressed. It will ultimately be REELA. Please comment!
1. Depression

There are some possible spoilers in this story. The pciks up a week after the season 14 finale. It's maily about Neela in the beginning and her fellings. It is going to ulitmately be REELA.

1 year later: True Love Survives (S15 spoilers)

Neela had just come home from a 33 hour shift at the hospital and was exhausted. Only a week had past since the chaotic day at the ER when Pratt was killed in an explosion while in an ambulance. Neela couldn't understand why everyone close to her kept getting killed, hurt, or just flat out left her. First, Micheal died, then Ray's accident, and now Pratt was dead and Abby was leaving Chicago to live her life with her family. She felt all alone and depressed. Most of all she didn't like the person she was becoming. Just because she was alone she slept with Simon Brenner, an arrogant guy who she had no feelings for whatsoever. She felt like she didn't know anything about herself anymore or what she wanted, well besides the fact that she wanted Ray. That wasn't a surprise though since she had always wanted him. She could call or visit him, but he probably hated her. She was afraid of getting rejected by the man she loved. So she went to sleep, all alone.

The following day:

Neela's phone rang and woke her up. "Hello."

"Hey Neela. It's Sam. We need you at the hospital. It's packed with patients."

"Isn't there anyone else you could call. I have only slept 6 hours in the past 2 days!"

"No, there isn't. I'm sorry, but get down here very soon," Sam replied and hung up immediately, not giving Neela another chance to object.

"I'm here. What do you need to me to do," Neela asked after arriving at the hospital.

"8 year old girl in room 2 with a hand fracture," Gates told her.

"You mean I came in when I was dead tired for this," Neela replied rudely and then walked off.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" asked Morris.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling I know what's bothering her." Gates added.

"Well, I just discharged the 13 year old with a foot sprain. Now if there's any other "critical" patients you need me to see just let me know," Neela said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry I called you in for this," Sam said. "There were seriously like 60 patients in here before you got here."

"They must have run off when they saw you," Morris said jokingly.

"Shut up you bloody wanker," Neela shouted and stormed off to the doctor's lounge.

Gates ran after her and found her crying hysterically. "Neela, what's wrong? Why are you so sad?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine," Neela replied trying to wipe her tears off.

"No, you aren't. You seem really depressed lately. I know everything has been crazy with Pratt dying and Abby and Kovac moving away, but you still have me here to talk to, and Sam and Morris too. Brenner's still here too, and it seems like you 2 have been getting along well. He told me you two slept together. I had no idea you liked him."

"What? No way. I hate him. You know as well as I do that having sex doesn't require love. I just slept with him because I was alone."

"Oh. You miss Ray, don't you?"

"Of course. He's always been the person I could talk to about practically anything and it has been so hard living my life without him."

"When is the last time you talked to him?"

"The day he left Chicago."

"What? Why haven't you kept in touch with him?"

"Because he probably hates me and I don't blame him. The whole accident was practically my fault. I'm sure he doesn't want to talk to me. He was so mad at me the day left. "

"You should call him, ok. Of course he was mad that day, his legs had just been amputated. But, he doesn't blame you. Me, maybe, but not you. And I want you to take tomorrow off. I can cover for you so you can have some time to yourself and sleep or whatever."

"Thanks." Neela said sort of cheered up.

The following day Neela woke up and felt a little better than she had the previous day. She remembered her talk with Gates and realized he wasn't such a horrible guy. Besides, he was right. She should have kept in touch with Ray. Immediately she decided to call Ray. She picked up her cell and dialed his number.

The phone rang 8 or 9 times before the answering machine picked up. "Please leave a message after the beep, beep…" Neela couldn't believe that she had finally gotten the courage to call Ray and he didn't pick up. So she left a message, well she tried to anyway.

"Hey Ray. It's Neela. I'm so sorry I haven't called until now. I just didn't know how you felt about me. And everything lately has been so stressful and depressing, with Pratt dying and work. Everytime I feel like I'm starting to get stronger and better, something else happens to make me realize how lonely I am. 

I especially felt this way when you left after…." And this is where Neela started to cry and couldn't finish talking and just added while sobbing, "Well, anyway hope you are doing better."

After the phone call Neela continued crying. She had a horrible headache and decided to take two tablets of Advil. Then she grabbed a beer out of the fridge and started drinking. She also decided to take more Advil. When the first beer was gone she grabbed another and continued this process until she passed out on her couch.

"Where the hell is Neela?" Morris asked.

"Who knows," Frank hissed.

"I can't believe she's 3 hours late. That isn't like her," replied Gates. "I'll go check on her."

Fifteen minutes later he arrived at her apartment and knocked on her door. There was no answer. Gates reached for the spare key she kept above her door and opened it and was shocked when he saw she was lying passed out on the floor. He tried waking her up but it was no use. She was out like a baby. He saw all that was laying around her: a bunch of beer and an empty Advil bottle. Gates picked her up and rushed her to the hospital. The whole way there he couldn't help but think he had just lost another great friend of his.


	2. She Needs You

**She Needs You**

Gates ran through the ER doors with Neela in his arms.

"Oh my god. Is that Neela? What happened?" Sam asked as she helped Gates put her on the gurney.

"I went over to her apartment and saw her passed out with an empty advil bottle laying next to her and 5 empty bottles of beer."

"How long has it been?" Sam questioned.

"I don't know," Gates responded as he examined her and tried to get her to wake up.

Morris came rushing in asking the same questions Sam just asked and Gates filled him in.

"I don't know if she's ever going to wake up, " Morris whispered after he took a look at her.

"What do you mean?" screamed Gates. "We have to fix her!"

"I know man, I want to fix her too. I just don't know what to do, she's got too much alcohol in her system mixed with Advil."

"I'll call Dubenko. He'll know what to do," Sam said trying to ease the tension.

After he got the call, Dubenko rushed down to the ER to try to fix his student, and friend. Dubenko decided to pump her stomach. After they did this, she still didn't wake up. He said that there was still a chance that she could wake up and until then everyone was supposed to keep a close eye on her. So they all did their part, not wanting to lose another friend and colleague.

The next morning Neela still hadn't woken up. Sam was in the room when Gates walked in.

"How's she doing Sam?"

"Not any better than last night," she said. "Maybe you should go to her apartment and get some of her things, so that if, I mean WHEN she wakes up she'll feel a little more comfortable."

"Ok, I'll go now," Gates replied.

When Gates got to her apartment he packed some of her things into a bag. He saw her cellphone on the table and as he was fixing to put it in his pocket, he realized there was a message from Ray left on it, so he listened to it.

"Neela, it's Ray. I have to say I was very surprised when I got your message. I mean, you haven't tried to contact me in a year and now all of a sudden you leave me this message not even thinking about how it would affect me. That night of my accident I do take some of the responsibility, but it wouldn't of ever happened if you had been honest with your feelings instead of stringing me along while you screwed 

that good for nothing Gates. And I'm so glad that you just realized how much you needed me after everyone else in your life is gone. That's just great Neela. For all I care just do what you've done for the past year and don't call me anymore. As far as I'm concerned you can go to hell! And by the way, I am doing much better and I have a girlfriend now."

When the recording was finished Gates couldn't believe what he had just heard. All this time he really did think Ray was a nice guy and wouldn't be so cruel, especially to Neela. He knew he had to erase it and he did because he couldn't risk having Neela hear it.

When Gates went back to the hospital everyone was in a much better mood.

"Morris, what's going on? Why's everyone so happy?"

"Neela woke up. She's asleep now, but atleast she woke up once," Morris replied.

"Did she say anything?" Gates questioned.

Sam butted in and said, "Yeah. Right when she woke up she said Ray's name. She asked us to call him."

"No, you can't!" Gates yelled.

"What? Why not?" Sam asked. "You don't still have feelings for her do you?"

"No, of course not. We're just friends now." Then he went on to tell them about the message.

Around 7 in the afternoon Gates went in to check on Neela and she was still asleep. As he watched her lay there he couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The man she loved was so bitter at her. He decided he would do as she wished and tell Ray what was going on because he was certain that after he found out what had happened to Neela he would forgive her. So he went to the doctor's lounge and dialed Ray's number from Neela's cell.

Ray picked up and said, "Neela, I told you not to call me!"

"It's not Neela," Gates said in a stern voice.

"Gates, why the hell are you calling me? I don't want to talk to you!" Ray said angrily.

"Well that is just too damn bad. Look you bastard, Neela is in the hospital."

"So what's new, she's a doctor, isn't she?" Rap replied.

"Just shut up and listen to me. She is the patient this time because she overdosed on some Advil, while she was drinking a bunch of beer. She was upset with everything that was going on and not keeping in touch with you. And then I guess she tried to call you and since you didn't pick up she started drinking. She barely made it man."

There was silence for about a minute before Ray said, "Well, is she ok now?"

"I guess, physically she's alright, but emotionally she's definitely not. She woke up earlier today, but she's been asleep ever since then. She needs you man."

"Where was she when I needed her? Of course I'm glad she's ok, but I don't want to talk to her or see her ever again. Infact, eventually I'm hoping to forget all about her and the past 4 years of my life. So if you don't mind I have to get to my physical therapy session," Ray concluded and hung up the phone.

Before Gates had left for the night he went to check on Neela again. She was awake and when she saw him she immediately asked, "Did you call Ray?"

"Yup."

"Well, is he coming?" Neela asked.

Gates shook his head.

"Did he atleast want to talk to me?"

Gates didn't want to lie so he shook his head again. "I'm sorry," he added. He started to head out the door because he could tell that Neela needed some alone time and as he walked he could hear her starting to cry.


End file.
